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Daemon jumped forward to catch her, pulled hi a muscle in his back spasracefully as the leaves dancing around her, finally settling on the grass a few feet frohtened up, winced as the ain, and looked at the tree Stay calm If you yell at her, she won’t answer any questions

He took a deep breath, puffed it out "How did you get up there?"

She gave hiot down"

Daehed and sat down on the iron bench that circled the tree "Mother Night," he ainst the tree and closed his eyes

There was a long silence He knew she atching hily strange behavior

"Don’t you kno to stand on air, Prince?" Jaenelle asked hesitantly, as though she was trying not to offend him

Daemon opened his eyes a crack He could see his knees--and her feet He sat up slowly and studied the feet planted fir "It would seem I missed that lesson," he said dryly "Could you showshy

"Please?" He hated the wistfulness in his voice He hated feeling so vulnerable She’d begun to make some excuse, but that note in his voice stopped her, made her look at him closely He had no idea what she saw in his face He only knew he felt raw and naked and helpless under the steady gaze of those sapphire eyes

Jaenelle smiled shyly "I could try" She hesitated "I’ve never tried to teach a grown-up before"

"Grown-ups are just like children, only bigger," Daehed, her expression one of harried amusement "Up here," she said as she stood on the iron bench

Daemon stepped up beside her

"Can you feel the bench under your feet?"

Indeed he could It was a cold day that pro, and he could feel the cold froh his shoes "Yes"

"You have to really feel the bench"

"Lady," Daemon said dryly, "I really feel the bench"

Jaenelle wrinkled her nose at him "Well, all you have to do is extend the bench all the way across the alcove You step"--she placed one foot forward and it looked as if she was stepping on so solid--"and you continue to feel the bench Like this" She brought the other foot forward so that she was standing on the air at exactly the saht as the bench She looked at him over her shoulder

Daeined the bench extending before him, put one foot out, placed it on the air, and pitched forward since there was nothing beneath hi hiht his other foot to the ground and gingerly tested his ankle It would be a little sore, but it was still sound He kept his back half turned frole he’d heard in sofoolish He was furious for failing, furious because of the sudden despair he felt that she would think hiotten that Jaenelle was Jaenelle

"I’, whispery voice behind him "I’m sorry Are you hurt?"

"Only my pride," Daemon said as he turned around, his lips set in a rueful s, don’t cry" He gathered her into his arms while her shoulders shuddered with the effort not to make a sound "Don’t cry," Daemon crooned as he stroked her hair "Please don’t cry I’m not hurt Honestly I’ainst his chest, he allowed hiuess I’ic"

"No, you’re not," Jaenelle said, pushing away fro the tears off her face with the backs of her hands "I’ve just never tried to explain it to anyone before"

"Well, there you are," he said too brightly "If you’ve never shown anyone--"

"Oh, I’ve shown lots of my other friends," Jaenelle said brusquely "I’ve just never tried to explain it"

Daemon was puzzled "How did you show them?"

Instantly he felt her pull away from him Not physically--she hadn’t lanced at hi behind her veil of hair "Itouchedthem so they could understand"

The e him ever since the first time he saw her flared briefly and subsided To touch her, et beneath the shadowsHe would never have dared suggest it, would never have dared make the first overture until she was much, much older But now Even to connect with her, just briefly, inside the first inner barrier--ah, to touch Jaenelle

Daemon’s mouth watered

There was the risk, of course Even if she initiated the touch, it ht be too soon He hat he was, and even at the first barrier there was the swirl of anger and predatory cunning that was the Warlord Prince called Daerown That, too, would be evident